Search for ancient mammal in ancient land

Friday 31 Mar 2017

A team of internationally recognised researchers led by a Charles
Sturt University (CSU) ecologist aim to solve a scientific riddle when they
search for an ancient mammal in the rugged Kimberley region of Western
Australia.

With the help of trained sniffer dogs, remote cameras, a
small army of volunteers and old fashioned scientific detective work, CSU Professor
of Ecology David Watson and his team are looking for the long-beaked echidna.

They hope to verify the stories of local Aboriginal
communities.

Professor Watson said, "The Miriwoong Gadjerong and other
local communities recognise two species of echidna: the common short-beaked
echidna found across Australia, and 'the other one'.

"We believe this is the long-beaked echidna, the oldest
known remaining mammal in the world and currently only known to be in steamy
rainforests of New Guinea.

"A specimen recently turned up in a London museum of an
animal collected near Mount Anderson in 1901, the first direct evidence
that long-beaked echidnas persisted in Australia until very recently.

"We want to know if these beautiful creatures, reminders of
a time when giant kangaroos and giant wombats roamed across Australia, are
still alive in the remnant pockets of rainforest found in deep gorges scattered
across the Kimberley region," said Professor Watson from CSU's School of Environment
Sciences.

There's a sense of urgency about the search.

"We know that cane
toads are marching across northern Australia—they're currently only 200
kilometres away, and are already breeding in east Kimberley. We must conduct
this survey before they get there so we know what and where native fauna are in
the region, and how we can help protect them in coming years if they are to
survive this toxic wave," Professor Watson said.

Rather than capturing animals during the survey, the
research team will install motion-triggered cameras in the isolated rainforest
pockets and on coastal islands only accessible by helicopter.

"We plan to set up camps over the survey region this
September, staffed by our research team and groups of volunteers. They
will fan out from the camps to catalogue birds, mammals and reptiles while
keeping an eye out for any signs of the long-beaked echidna.

"We will also use the dogs to sniff out echidna and other
droppings, and test the DNA in them to identify of the producers of dung
samples," Professor Watson said.

"This so-called scat analysis is a vital part of modern
ecological studies."

The researchers plan to conduct a three week field-trip to
consult with traditional Aboriginal owners, establish two base camps in the
west Kimberley, install motion-triggered cameras, and select potential sites
for comprehensive surveys.

After a brief trip early in the 2018 dry season to recover
cameras, confirm survey locations, and organise helicopters and food drops, the
main expedition will be conducted between September and November in 2018, with
teams of scientists and volunteers radiating out from both base camps to
complete the survey.

"My alter ego 'Doctor Dave' will come with us next year to
provide live updates from the field to explain the progress of the search
through social media and live streaming. This will be a fabulous opportunity to
see research live in the wild wherever they are in Australia or the world,
especially in schools.

"By engaging directly with school students and the wider
community, I hope to share the sense of adventure that motivates me as a
scientist." See 'Dr Dave' in the wild here.

Professor Watson is not surprised that researchers are still
finding new species in Australia.

"You would think that in this day and age we would know all
the animals on this continent, especially a 15-kilogram mammal such as the
long-beaked echidna," Professor Watson said.

"However, with its complex rocky coastline, almost 3 000
islands, impenetrable networks of gorges, rainforests surrounded by steep
cliffs, and vast areas of wilderness, the Kimberley is one of the least
explored regions on Earth.

"The recent rediscovery of the Night Parrot, which was
thought to be extinct, shows it's possible for an echidna population to hide in
an isolated gorge all these years.